The first of two American Idol 14 San Francisco audition episodes airs tonight! We’ll be Live blogging everything right here! JOIN US!
Click to Check out The American Idol 14 Top 24 Spoilers
Word on the street is there was A LOT of talent in the city by the bay. Let’s see if the hopefuls bring it!
Welp. Not so much tonight. The only singers really worth noting, are Maddy Hudson and Rayvon Owen, and we had to sit through a slew of bad and mediocre singers to get there. I HATE these one hour episodes. I really think audition episodes need two hours in order to create a proper arc. With 120 minutes, the editors can include a panoply of singers that represent all sides of the experience without viewers feeling like they’ve been cheated.
We’ve got ONE MORE hour of San Francisco tomorrow night. I’ll be able to tell you whether it’s good or not, because I’ve got a screener…
Katherine Skitter – 15 – “Shake it Out” by Florence + The Machine – A psychic, being her cat Mustafa, inspired her to audition for American Idol. Alrighty then. Laying on the quirk like a try-hard, this poor girl is the tragic victim of her high school drama club. And Glee. I’m thinking Britney S. Pierce may be her spirit animal. “I’m rocking the pimp coat” she says super enthusiastically, when the judges compliment her thrift shop style. When she tells a dumb joke about Bowie giving her the fugly fake coat she’s wearing, Jlo looks completely confused. The singing is just…Ok. Lot’s of growling, followed by whisper singing, which appears to be her idea of phrasing and dynamics. Shouty McShouterson. She relays the story about how her cat told her to audition. Jennifer isn’t sure whether to take her seriously (NOT JLO). She’s made for the stage, but maybe not American Idol, Jlo thinks. Harry appreciates her creativity. Keith called her bold and fearless (!!!). They all say yes. OY. Really? Super annoying + lack of singing ability. NOT A GREAT COMBO. This child. PLEASE – 3 yeses.
http://youtu.be/tX-oOM8tWoU
A montage of yeses speed by quickly Erika David – 25 – “No One” by Alicia Keys – Chandler Leighton – 20 “New York State of Mind” by Billy Joel and Ryan Pinkston – 27 – sings “As” by Stevie Wonder. The best of the three was definitely the soulful Ryan Pinkston. Chandler was pretty good too. Keith said no to the generic Erika. I think he was right.
http://youtu.be/U0mYgyPCIHE
Andrew Bloom – 17 – “Too Close” by Alex Clare – His friend is an olympic silver medalist, a track star, there to support him. Andrew is nothing special, but I’m not hating the 50 billionth cover of “Too Close” I’ve heard on singing shows. He’s a musical guy with a pleasant tone. A decent guitar player. But. Zzzzz. Keith thinks he has a good spirit. “It all feels right” says Jennifer, “It has bite, you have an attack.” Harry tells him to watch the blues licks. Maybe don’t show off when you really don’t have the chops? Harry wants to race the Olympic dude, a sprinter. “He’s on my turf now,” says Harry. Of course he pwns Harry pretty handily. – 3 yeses.
http://youtu.be/Dnihu8BJBfo
C’MON SAN FRANCISCO KNOCK MY SOCKS OFF. I’m waiting. IMPATIENTLY.
Kellyeanne Rodgers – “A Song For You” by Leon Russell – We catch a glimpse of a girl with a pretty tone who could not find the exit. which is a segue to…
MORE EXIT FAILS. An Idol oldie but goodie. “We’ve Got to Get Out of This Place” plays through the sad, sad montage. “Don’t tell anyone I did that,” says one hopeful “I won’t” promises Keith. OOOPS.
Reno Anoa’i – 16 – “I Don’t Want to Talk About it” by Rod Stewart – Reno comes from a huge Samoan family. How huge? Six siblings! His mom comes from a family of 22. How does that happen? I bet he’s Mormon. They all live in a small house. They sleep on coaches, the floor. His grandmother taught him the ukulele, which he has brought with him and plays. And can pronounce correctly. He has a pretty falsetto, but lacks control. Jennifer didn’t like the runs. I agree with her! He completely lost me when he tried to ornament. He became pitchy and lost emotional resonance. He’s a young singer still finding his voice. Harry likes his voice, but wasn’t crazy about his one dimensional presentation. Reno freaks out, and begins praying. Keith urges him to BE IN THE MOMENT. Listen to the critique. They all say yes anyway, but he’s clearly not ready. – 3 yeses
http://youtu.be/Dx1HzI-zvVg
STILL WAITING IDOL.
Samuel Prince – 22 – “As Long As You Love Me” by Justin Bieber – He’s from San Juan Puerto Rico. He tells Jlo she’s the “Puerto Rican Queen” He bows. This is the preview from yesterday. Samuel invites the judges to inprov a Telenovela scene, which includes Samuel accusing Jlo of cheating on him with Harry and Keith. She hauls back and slaps him. He falls. Its’ actually kind of funny. The over acting in Hispanic soap operas is really something. The singing? NOT SO MUCH. He speak/sings Bieber. It’s pretty bad. Keith says he’s an actor attempting to act like a singer. They all say no. – 3 nos.
http://youtu.be/VDop5aH66P0
Matthew Sequeira – 15 – Oh My. This phrasing is so bizarre. the performance from Luke Randall consists mostly of screaming “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons while hopping. Didn’t we see that dude get turned down on a prior episode? Sade Shine – 28 – wearing a tiara sings “Dancing in the Streets” and it’s tragic. OMG Keith says yes to tiara girl. She really wanted Jlo to say yes, “When I’m on the other side,” says Sade, “I’ll be saying no to her.” HELLO DELUSION.
A guitar guy sings prettily. Is he Hollywood or Home? Oh please. As if they’ll say no to a pretty boy playing a guitar. OMG THEY SAID NO! Kind of shocked. I think this was the first Hollywood or Home no.
Rayvon Owen – 23 – “Wide Awake” by Katy Perry – His mother is there to support. He had a positive childhood, but they did struggle financially. But mom protected him and his siblings from all that. Keith misheard his name as “Rayvono” Heh. Ohhh. What a pretty, unusual tone. Talk about Wide Awake. I FINALLY AM. Rayvon sings with quiet emotion and GORGEOUS phrasing. The wonderful, precise way he plays with melody has me wanting more. THIS is original. “GOOOOSIIIIHHEEEEES” squeals Jlo. Keith didn’t like that he smiled through it, but his tone was so beautiful, he’s over it. “You had us on the journey with you.” Rayvon kept Harry’s attention with simply his voice, which isn’t easy to do, he says. 3 yeses.
http://youtu.be/oBLfRozHsW0
Ezekiel & Jeremiah Cardenas – 20 – “Little Things” by One Direction – TWINNING! Idol has always loved their twins. They usually suck. And this season is no exception. One plays rudimentary, out of tune, guitar, while the other warbles painfully, also off tune. Harry notes how quickly a guitar can go out of tune. They play more. “Not that he would tune it now,” grumbles Harry. Keith, mercifully, stops them. – 3 noes.
Maddy Hudson – 16 – “Resentment” by Beyonce – Maddy was bullied in middle school, and never felt like she quite fit in. But music gave her strength and confidence. She enters the audition room like a ball of sunshine–bubbly, but with a hint of vulnerability. Her personality is SO appealing. She tells Jlo that she looked everywhere for her “Maid in Manhattan” dress, but could not find it. This young singer has some bluesy swag. She’s confident and performs like she has actually felt the heartbreak she’s singing about. Impressive. “I was with you!” says Jlo. “Fantastic.” “Goosies!” “Blown away,” says Jennifer. Keith loves everything on the outside, but especially what’s on the inside. Harry says she has possesses EVERY ingredient of a superstar. Her quirky yet genuine personality really does radiate star quality. She lets it all hang out. The complete mirror opposite of the first singer, Katherine, who wears her quirk like it’s one of her thrift shop dresses. – 3 yeses.
http://youtu.be/AgBAcp4IFa4
